Sheet material



Feb. 28, 1928. 1,660,924

E. HOPKINSON SHEET MATERIAL Filed Nov. 5, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Suva wot ERNES T hop/mvsou Gum/nu;

Feb. 28, 1928. 1,660,924

E. HOPKINSON SHEET MATERIAL Filed NOV. 5, 1923 a'maamtop fRA/EST HOPKINJON 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ma a Feb. 28,

v UNITED STATES 1,660,924 PATENT orncs.

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Application me new a, 1m. semi Io. 072,505.

This invention'relates to a new and, userovings, yarns, threads, or cords, presenting a more or less natural appearance and secured in close-lying arallel relation to a backing by a flexib e bonding material which is applied so as not to pass through and be visible from the face of the goods,

at least to an objectionable extent. Stri ed, furry, or fieeced, effects may be obtaine by an appropriate selection or treatment of the threa s or cords. Various backings may be employed, but cords at substantially right angles to those in the facing roduce a sheet material that is pliant an substantially inelastic lengthwise and cross-wise.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic elevation of anlapparatus for applying bonding mater1a Fi ure 2 is a cross-section of a facing layer 0 cords;

Figure 3 is a cross-section of a finished com osite sheet showing the facing layer of cor s applied to a backing;

Fi re 4 is a view simi ar to Figure 3, indicatmg diagrammatically a skim-coat of bondin material interposed between the facing layer and backing;

Figure 5.is a perspective looking at the bottom of a sheet of the present invention with a backing of netting;

Figures 6 and 7 are plan and elevations, respectively, of an apparatus for facilitating the a plication of s uares of cords cross-wise to a ibcing layer 0 cords;

A-nd Figure 8 is a perspective looking at the top, illustrating a striped effect.

It is to be understood that the drawings are diagrammatic in character. Referring to Figure 1 thereof, and with the manufacture of one form of sheet material in mind, the cord-elements 1 in close-l ing or contiguous parallel relation, prefera ly squeezed together, and of a number to give-the requisite width of sheet desired, may be conducted to a spreading device comprising a roll 2 and a ddctor blade 3, in front of which latter is banked latex aste 4. As the cords are drawn under t e doctor blade 3,the latex paste, or other bonding material, is levelled ofi to the thickness desired, a small fraction of an inch. The latex paste or bondin material passes, into the cusp-like channe between the cords but notthrough to the opindicated at 11 in Figure 4.

osite surface. The sheet of cords may then wrapped up on a wind-up ree15 with an interposedliner 6, with or without a previous (more or less complete) drying, as with the steam coils 7, or y festooning, as may be r uired by the nature of the latex paste, or 0 er bonding material which, for the subsequent application of the backin is desirably left in a tacky condition. '%y this means, a facing layer of cords 8, one side of which is untreate may be obtained in the form illustrated in cross-section in Figure 2.

To the coated side of this facing layer of cords 8, other cords 10may be applied at right angles, either directly, as shown in Figure 3, or after the facing 1a er of cords 8 has been skim or additional coated, as 10 b l' d l hese li may e app 1e sin or in rou s t e latter preferably, in a ia nner lat r to be detailed. Or, the facing layer of cord-elements, particularly if in the form known as rovings, indicated at 1, Figure 5, which has previously been webbed together with latex paste 4, as illustrated diagrammatically in Figure 1, may have applied thereto a netting 12. This netting 12 may be applied continuously to the facing layer 8,-

with or without a reliminary treatment with rubber, refera ly rubber latex. Or, as before, a s im-coat may be a plied on a calender to the facing layer of rovings, Figure 5, before attaching the netting'12.

If the backin material is to consist of contiguous para lel cross-cords, in order to make the roduct substantially resistant to stretch bot lengthwise an'd cross-wise, it is preferred to employ the procedure and apparatus diagrammatically illustrated in Figures 6 and of the drawings. Therein, the prepared facing layer 8 is shown being con-' ducted on a conveyor 13 (or the liner 6 might be utilized) in the direction indicated by the arrow. Groups of cross-cords in the form of squares 14: may be manually applied to the facing layer, 15, and 16 indicating previously applied squares of cross-cords.

e groups or squares of cross-cords 14 may be obtained inlany suitable manner. Simple means are illustrated in Figures 6 and 7 of the drawin in which a roll of the backing materiai indicated at 17,- is drawn by an intermittently or step-by-step actuated conveyor 18 under a reciprocating knife 19, which cuts it into lengths equal to i the width of the facing layer 8. The cut lengths or squares 14 may then be carried by mother conveyor to a platen 21, and by it turned upside down and transferred to a table 22, which is hinged, as indicated at 23. A. coiled spring 24 may be suitably mounted above the hinge 23 so as to normally hold the table 22 in a horizontal position but permit of its manual depression to an inchned position, facilitatin operators disposing the squares 14 in a utting relation to the previously applied square 15, for instance, and superimposing them on the facing layer -8. The platen 21 may be operated automatically y any suitable means, or manually, as through a pinion 25, for carries the platen 21, a rack 27 being provided to en age the pinion.- Any suitable means ma %)8 utilized to operate the rack 27 tel being connected to a foot-treadle (not shown). 4

The squares. of cords 1 1, 15, 16,- etc., or other form of backing, may be premed so as to adhere to the facing layer of cords 8 in any suitable manner, for instance, .continuously with the squeeze rolls 30 at the delivery end of the conveyor 13, Figure 6.

Cords may have been webbed to ether to constitute the backing material 17 y treatment with latex, as in my prior Patent No. 1,424,020, or by spreading with a latex paste, as illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings, or by venient. Where it is desired to obtain a composite cross-cord sheet, both faces of which will possess the a pearance of the untreated cords, it is pre erred to web together the cords constituting the backing ayer in the same manner as the facing layer. I

The composite bullt-up sheet materlal may then be finished by vulcanizing if the bonding material is vulcanizable, and/or by na ping one or both faces of the cords if it is esired to obtain the appearance of suede leather, fur, or fleece. Of course, this nappilig operation is optional.

mm the foregoing it will be seen that the invention contemplates the manufacture of a composite or laminated sheet material consisting of a surface la er of cord-elements-by which term it is intended to comprehend yarns, threads, cords, or any association of fibers resemblin the same, in contra-distinction to paralle or haphazardly disposed fibers in the form] of a matwhich are webbed together with a bonding material not marring or detracting from the appearance of the cords from one side of the layer thereof, and a backing whose character may be varied to impart an inelastic or semi-elastic quality to the composite sheet material in a transverse or crossinstance, fast to the shaft 26, which as the ever 28 and reach-rod 29, the lat-.

calendaring, or otherwise as conwise direction. The cord-elements may be made of cotton, wool, silk, or any other fibers, or a mixture thereof, as desired. The

bonding material may be applied in-any manner convenient and adapted to suit the nature of vthe constituent materials. Rubber latex, preferably concentrated, and with or without incorporated compounding vulcanizing agents (as the nature of the finished product may require),is the preferred bonding material, but it is within the broad invention to employ other flexible adhesive substances. If a vulcanizable rubber .composition is used, it is desirable to employ a compound curable at a low temperature or with a short elevated heat treatment so as not to have to subject the cord-elements to an appearancc-marrin treatment. The preferred form of backing is cross-wise disposed and discontinuous cords of any desired spacing, but netting or s uare woven fabric of any suitable kind may e employed and applied to the surface layer 8 of cords, as convenient. Of course, a square woven backifi need not be cut into squares and appli to the surface layer 8, it being better, in this case, to superlmpose webs of the two materials and continuously press them together, as with the ressing rolls illustrated in Figures 6 and 9 Sheet material may be manufactured according to the present invention to meet a wide variety of needs, for instance, the uppers of canvas shoes, upholstery, i itation fleeces or furs, articles of wearing zpparel, and many other uses not here necessary to enumerate.

In view of the many changes and modifications that may be made without departing from; the principles underlying the discovery, reference should be made to the appended claimsfor an understanding of the scope of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent isz- 1. Laminated sheet material comprising a facing layer of parallel compactly contiguous uncoated cords, a backing, and bonding material anchoring the cords together in parallel relation and to the bee the bonding material bein applied to t e inside face of the facing ayer of cords and being substantially excluded from the opposite face by the compactness of the cords.

2. Laminated sheet material comprising a facing layer of parallel compactly contiguous uncoated cords, a backin and bonding material anchoring the cor to ether in parallel relation and to the bee ing, the bonding material bein excluded from the outside of the facing ager of cords by the compactness of the cor s.

3. Laminated sheet material comprising a facing layer of parallel compactly contiguous uncoated cords, a backing and vulcanized rubber anchoring the cor s together in parallel relation and to the backing, the Vulcanized rubber being excluded from the outside of the facing layer by the compactness of-the cords.

4. The method of manufacturing sheet material which consists in webbing uncoated cords together in compactly contiguous arallel relation with bondin material app ied to one face onlyof the sfiets, the bonding material being excluded from the opposite face of the sheet by the compactness of the cords in the sheet, applying a backing to the webbed-together-cords, and uniting the backing to the bonding face of the webbedtogether-cord.

5. The method of manufacturing sheet material which consists in webbing uncoated cords together in compactly conti ous parallel relation with bondin material of vulcanizable rubber composition applied to one face only of the sheet of cords, and being ex cluded from the other face by the compactness of the cords in the sheet, applying a backing to the coated face of the webbedtogether-cords, pressing the backing to the bonding face of the webbed-together-cords and vulcanizing the resulting laminated sheet.

Signed at New York city, county of New York, and State of New York, this 1st day of November, 1923.

ERNEST HOPKIN SON. 

